HD DVD Review: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Jessica Biel in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

A brief synopsis: Adam Sandler and Kevin James star as best friends and fellow NYC firefighters Chuck Levine and Larry Valentine. Chuck owes Larry after Larry saves Chuck’s life in a partial building collapse as part of a fire investigation. Larry calls in the favor big time by asking Chuck to pose as his domestic partner so Larry’s kids can be named the beneficiaries under his city benefits program. It seems Larry forgot to change the primary beneficiary designation from his wife to his kids within one year of his wife’s death and now needs to fake a gay marriage with Chuck to get around this little error. Needless to say, a fact checking bureaucrat becomes suspicious and the two are forced to try to live as a gay couple. The film co-stars Dan Aykroyd as the fire chief and Jessica Biel as a lawyer who represents Chuck and Larry when their ruse is discovered. This is your typical Adam Sandler movie so don’t expect high brow humor. There are plenty of fart, fat and gay jokes if that floats your boat. At least Jessica Biel looks spectacular in high def.

THE VIDEO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, this is another very good transfer from Universal. The colors on this transfer are excellent with very accurate colors and spot on fleshtones and deep blacks. The picture has a three dimensional look although there is a slight softness to the picture on occasion which prevents me from giving it a higher grade. For the most part, detail is excellent. The print looks to be in excellent shape as one would expect from such a new film. I was not able to detect any dirt or scratches in the print. There were no artifacts or pixelation visible in the image. Other than the occasional softness, there is little to quibble with about this transfer. For those concerned about the fact that this is a combo disc, the HD side played flawlessly for me. It looks like the days of performance issues with Universal combo discs are over, hopefully.

THE AUDIO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

Presented in Dolby True HD, this audio track is very good as well. The dialogue track is full, rich and clear and well placed in the mix. Bass is deep and tight and the surround speakers are used appropriately. The overall sound can be best described as smooth and open. There is not a hint of thinness or shrillness in the soundtrack. While it is a comedy, an effective soundfield is employed, especially during the fire fighting sequences which sound very convincing. Fans of this film will not be disappointed with this audio track.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a solid effort from the folks at Universal with very good audio and video. Fans of this film will be very happy with this release. Highly recommended for fans of Adam Sandler.

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